Healthy ageing and the older person

The aim of this chapter is to develop an understanding of how older people age well and the factors that influence healthy ageing. Whilst the focus of this chapter is on older people living in Australia, we have also included some discussion on older people living in New Zealand. This is not a comprehensive exploration of ageing - rather, this chapter provides an examination of contemporary issues influencing the health of older people. Understanding healthy ageing is important because of the increasing ageing population in Australia and New Zealand. This chapter provides an overview of healthy ageing within a primary healthcare (PHC) context. The chapter is divided into four sections. First, we discuss knowledge and attitudes about ageing. We then move on to explore how PHC supports healthy ageing. Following this, we look at societal factors that influence healthy ageing and finally we examine the importance of policy and service provision in maintaining and supporting the health of older people. Throughout this chapter, the term 'older person' is used to refer to all individuals over 65 years.